Back when I started dreaming up a cookbook I would one day write, all I knew is what I didn’t want: I did not want to work every weekday, weekend and evening on it, I did not want to set an insanely close deadline and then have to hastily throw together a book I wasn’t pleased with and above all else I did not want the time I had to devote to this web space to become squeezed, although I understood that there would probably be a harried point right near the end that all three rules could be suspended for a good cause. And indeed, they have been. I hope to deliver my manuscript in August and it’s pretty all-consuming right now — in a good way, because I’m finally starting to see the whole thing coming together. So, if things are a bit slow between now and then, do understand that I cannot wait until late summer when my attentions can be what they were before my son was 4 months old, and instead of doing normal New Mom things like catching up on sleep or rounding up preschool applications (ha!), I decided that at my earliest convenience, I would write a book instead.

Nevertheless, not a day goes by when I do not cook and this past weekend, it was my favorite kind: the lazy kind, mostly whims. On Friday, well, Friday was a crazy day and I’ll tell you about that real soon. It involved a cake I’m auditioning for the cookbook and a late summer dish I’ll tell you about even sooner. Also: photographers. It was a little scary, but it ended with some Vermontucky Lemonades, so I didn’t mind. On Sunday, I caved to the blueberries and peaches and decided to make two pies, but left one with my in-laws and delivered another to friends at their new house and can’t tell you how they came out because I wasn’t there when anyone cut into them. But warm pie fresh from the oven? I’m going to assume nobody complained. On Monday, I made a slaw and baked America one of those goofy berry-topped birthday cakes before heading out to watch the sun set behind Manhattan and catch the faintest glimpse of the New York FireworksWest Side of Manhattan and New Jersey Fireworks with friends.

But Saturday, I can tell you all about Saturday: I spotted a recipe in this month’s Bon Appetit that we absolutely had to make for my husband’s family, who love Bloody Marys. I prepared the salad in my kitchen and hightailed it out to the ‘burbs where there are things like patios and open air grills. In the past, I’ve never been much of a steak person. Even the best ones, perfectly cooked, rarely charmed me but something shifted when I discovered skirt steak, and how easy it is to make, on or off the grill. It’s thin and quick, not terribly expensive and when properly seared on both sides, gives off the crisp edge/soft interior I think all great foods have in common. Plus, it is absolutely lovely draped over a summery salad. I was informed that this salad of tomatoes, celery, olives and vinegar-tossed red onions with a funky-fascinating dressing with horseradish, Worcestershire and celery seed “tastes exactly like a Bloody Mary” and yet it did not freak out the Bloody Mary wary (sheepishly raising my hand) at the table. It made a ton of food, too, so much that the next day we made steak sandwiches a la Ina Garten and had the leftover salad on the side which earned it an immediate place in the file I’m building of summer meals for lazy evenings.

I realized a bit after the fact that I’d used skirt steak when the recipe called for flank steak. Actually, no, I indeed used a flank steak. D’oh! They’re virtually interchangeable, however. The flank steak is cut from a little further back on the cow, and is a thicker and bit leaner. If using flank steak, I’d add two minute’s cooking time to each side.

I wanted more spice rub for the steak than the recipe had provided, so I’ve doubled it, below.

Prepare steaks: Arrange steaks on large rimmed sheet or cutting board. Mix 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, dark brown sugar, paprika, cayenne and freshly ground black pepper together in a dish. Rub all over steaks and let them marinate in this rub for 1 to 3 hours, covered in the refrigerator. Remove steaks from fridge 1 hour before you’re ready to cook them, to bring them to room temperature.

Prepare salad: Pour 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar over onions in the bottom of a large bowl and let them sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. This will temper the onion’s bite. Add tomatoes, celery and olives. Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, reserved olive brine, horseradish, Worcestershire, pepper sauce and celery seeds in a medium bowl. Slowly drizzle in oil, whisking constantly until combined. Add to tomato salad and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until needed, and up to 4 hours in advance, if covered and refrigerated.

Cook steaks: Preheat a charcoal grill to medium-high or a gas grill to the highest heat. Brush grill grates with oil. Grill steaks for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 1/4-inch thick slices, against the grain.

Alternately, cook the steaks inside: Heat a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high to high and coat bottom with oil. When oil begins to shimmer, place steak in skillet and do not move it for 5 minutes. Turn it once, and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare. Repeat with second steak. If your steaks are too large to cook in one piece, you may halve them to fit. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into 1/4-inch thick slices, against the grain.

i admit that i am one of the bloody mary wary (i had a bad experience with a hangover and a too spicy drink, too olive-y drink, blech) but as usual your recipe might convince me otherwise. i like the pairing of the hearty grilled steak with the slightly acidic and spicy salad.

I normally just leave my steaks plain when I cook them but the combination of spices sounds like it might be too good to resist. I’m a bit bloody mary wary too but I can imagine that the flavours work really with steak especially when it’s been on the grill.

I just came across a recipe for bloody mary skirt steak and had to make it. Marinating meat in a bloody mary like sauce packed flavor and familiar taste. It was amazing and blew us both away.Summer is the only time I really get into eating beef, the grill is hard to pass up on hot summer evenings. Bloody mary salad is right up there and is now in the batting cage. I am really looking forward to your book – I know it is going to be great!

*Sigh* You’re approach to your cookbook sounds like my pregnancy eating these days–I have no idea what I want to eat, but I definitely know what I don’t want (pretty much everything). While for the rest of the country this weekend was full of
slabs of meat and beer, I nibbled on chips and dip and nursed a Diet Coke. This one now goes into the file of “Food I Cannot Wait to Eat, Yet This Baby Clearly Can.”

There’s nothing quite like a good marinated skirt steak. My dad used to make one I loved as a kid, and now I make my own version – more of my own version of carne asada con cebollitas. I mix mexican beer, lime juice, sazon, cilantro, chopped green onion, salt, pepper, and a little chile powder. Let it marinate for a few hours and you will have an EXCELLENT flank steak that goes well with grilled spring onions (coat them in olive oil and salt and pepper and then grill until soft) and avocado. <3

This looks fantastic! One question, though – how much does the sherry vinegar temper the onion’s bite? My stomach doesn’t do well with raw onion (but is fine with cooked onion), so I’d hate to use this much onion in a salad and not be able to eat the salad. Any suggestions for making the onion more palatable?

Kim — You can always either use less onion or let it marinate longer. Try the onion before adding it to the salad; if it’s still too strong, use even less or none.

Olives — Skip them if you don’t like them. The brine is like very salty water, so simply add more salt to the dressing and perhaps water for brine. (Mine was a water-based brine.) I kept the olives on the side since a family member doesn’t like them. I used the brine though, I don’t think it tastes especially olive-ish.

As somebody who had her first Bloody Mary this year (on the plane to Mazatlan with my girlfriends to celebrate our 50th birthdays, no less), I found out I LOVE Bloody Mary mix and can take or leave the vodka so I make my own mix up by the half-gallon and drink a glass every morning! This salad will be made (and devoured, I’m sure), tonight. So happy I have the house to myself–no sharing tonight!

Funny, I just looked at the Epicuruous iPhone app today for the first time in ages…this was the first recipe that popped up under “summer grilling”! I was intrigued there, and am even more so now. I may have to go look for flank/skirt steak very soon!

Considering the number of folks who are anxiously awaiting THE cookbook, all I ask is that you publish enough for all of us!! Oh, and autographed copies, especially for those of us (ahem) who collect autographed cookbooks, please??

Oh my goodness all the pictures from this post are so wonderful! And your “birthday cake” for America looks great– I keep telling myself every year I’ll make one but when the time comes I just can’t bring myself to actually following through. There are always seems so many different patriotic desserts to try!

And by the way, I cannot wait for your cookbook! I think we all are so excited for it that you could get away with anything :D

Oh, how to balance everything, from writing (either a book or a dissertation) to cooking and then blogging about it, is something I well and truly understand. I personally like to think that if I weren’t so busy, I’d be bored, but sometimes I have to wonder if that’s just my way of comforting myself.

In any case, this salad looks divine…and I too am wary of the Bloody Mary.

Seeing the words “steak” and “bloody” in the same title gives me the heebie-jeebies. I grilled a really awful flank seak last week that was bloody in all the wrong ways… but back on topic, this actually looks wonderful! Your in-laws must love having you visit!

Skirt steak is the Rodney Dangerfield of steak cuts. So unappreciated! It really does not get the recognition and respect it deserves. It has so much flavor. I like to slice it on a slight diagonal, against the grain, for even more tenderness.

Love, love, love steak salads. I will absolutely be making this. I can’t wait for the book, my daughter and I are so excited! Also, regarding the pies, one of the things I most appreciate about you and your recipes is the balance. You have great healthy recipes, you incorporate whole grains where possible, but you don’t try to make desserts “healthy” and you use a store bought pie crust when that makes the most sense. I love that.

living on the border of urban/suburbia, wishing that we too, had a grill. this looks fantastic. and there is absolutely nothing wrong with ‘goofy berry topped birthday cakes’ to celebrate, either. just sayin!

It’s always nice to get out of the city on a hot July weekend especially with a tot! Looks like it was a fun time. The fireworks photos were also so lovely too! Can’t wait to hear/read all about your new cookbook! Busy summer for you it sounds!

Oooh. I love the idea of the flavors in a Bloody Mary, but I don’t like tomato *juice8 (too thick and weird) and I don’t like vodka much (I’m a gin girl). This will be a perfect alternative for me. It might be good at brunch as well as dinner! Also, I just started Weight Watchers, and if I cut the oil in half, it works very reasonably with my weight loss plan. Awesome.

I was wary of bloody mary’s as well until I went to this one brunch place in Tribeca. It had the most amazing bloody mary’s in the world and I now will always get one (if I am ever back in NYC for brunch…) It’s call Bubby’s and has the most amazing brunch items. along with their giant assortment of pies.

Another excellent choice of a recipe! I’m counting down the days to 2010–not because of the end of the world and Quetzalcoatl, but because of the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. of course! Hope you’re enjoying the summer. (here in San Francisco we’re finally getting consistently balmy weather–yay a real summer!)

Hi there. I am a HUGE fan of your page and a self proclaimed home chef;) Last September I had a baby very prematurely (6months) and he passed away 17 days after he was born. I am currently pregnant again and on strict bedrest. It is very intense. One thing that gets me through is your website. I have been selecting recipes that I can’t wait to try out once I am off bed rest, hopefully with a baby by my side. I really just wanted to thank you for the work you do and keeping the my love of culinary delights aflame.

This looks so good! I’m dining alone tonight, but were I not, I would make a trip to the store to get all the good stuff right away! I just saw a magazine article about ways to use up those gorgeous cherry tomatoes that are so profuse at this time of year. This looks like the best one of all.

Wow..this caught my eye right away, and I am a vegetarian! Yup, a strict one too..ya know, no gelatin/lard, ect…so after work I threw my butt in the car, the kiddos and I booked it to WF and picked up the ingredients for this awesome dish, sans meat. I used the same rub, but did it on these little gems http://www.gardein.com/index.php
I used the “beefless tips” frozen, sauteed them and skewered. If I had wanted to, I could have let them dethaw just a tad, skewered them and threw ‘em on the grill. Delish!! I did find there was a bit too much onion for the hubs taste, so I would cut that by about a 1/4 next time I make it. Thanks!! What a wonderful site, cannot wait for the book.

The bloody mary salad is genius! Even my celery-averse fiance went back for seconds. We really like bloody marys with a sinus-clearing kick, so I think I will add even more horseradish next time I make the salad (and there definitely will be a next time). YUM!

The bloody mary salad looks awesome, I love tomatoes, olives, and horseradish. My husband thinks that celery is nasty, though. I’m wondering if some other vegetable would work instead. Radishes? Daikon?

Lovely photos, can’t help it I’m sucker for those goofy berry flag cakes. Have to say, my my Deb have you come a long way from your iVillage days! Congrats on coming into the homestretch of your BOOK! It’s going to be Epic.

I saw this recipe too!! I have made from BA this year so far: the strawberry conserve, which is fantastic; the peach vanilla-pops, which I almost drank before I could get into the mold, and the fudgy meringe cookies, which were super tasty, but very much weather-reliant. But steak beats it all. I just reviewed the Flatiron truck on my site, it serves Flatiron steak and sides from a truck here in LA!

Hi Liz..I used red wine vinegar! I did not have sherry, and was trying to get out of the store quick, so I just used that. It worked fine. The dish was awesome. I guess I would not use balsamic, as I think it would overpower the salad. (I’m just not that brave..lol)

Jess — I’d really like to develop one but have no grill! Perhaps when we’re at a beach house later this summer…

Beth — Oh! We are rooting for you.

Beth (80) — I use a 50mm exclusively these days.

Kristen — Bubby’s is great! I think we went to the one in Brooklyn once though I heard they got rid of the high chairs… Perhaps they prefer tots running freely about rather than restrained in chairs? :)

We had maple rosemary skirt steak this weekend at our daughter’s birthday BBQ and it was a big hit! Served with your ratatouille and some multi colored baby potato salad. I got lots of happy comments..lemon bars for desert along with birthday cake didn’t hurt either. Love your site :)

Oh man this is definitely being made soon! Steak and bloody mary, what a perfect combo. We moved into a house this year and got a grill and I’m completely obsessed now. I even managed to bake a gratin in it! Street tacos are another really tasty and easy summer go-to meal.

My cherry tomatoes are nearly ripe, this recipe sounds perfect. I understand being overly busy and I am amazed you are able to write as much as you do. I hope to get back to writing again soon, what ever happened to lazy hazy summer days?

I am like Pavlov’s dog when I hear “Bloody Mary” so of course I tried this last night. The tomatoes were delicious, but I have to say the steak blew me away! This will be a staple to grill from now on. Thanks for another great recipe, can’t wait for the book!

Hi Deb, I’ve been reading your blog for a while now, but not sure if I’ve commented before. I made this tonight and it was great. I’ve never been a fan of bloody marys (texture issue), but this was great. I just substituted flat iron steak and served the whole thing on a bed of fresh spinach. So good! Thanks so much :)

Except biscotti di prato. All things good have crisp outsides and soft centres except biscotti di prato. Although, now I think about it, I do like them slightly underbaked on their second trip through the oven…

Made this last night for 10 people- crowd loved it, so fun and easy. I think you could make salad way in advance to really get flavors, i added a lot more horseradish too! It was a gorgeous presentation!

I made this last night and it was amazing! I had tomatoes from the farmers market that were perfect. My 12 year old twins gobbled the salad up like I hadn’t fed them for a week. Thank-you for your recipes. Looking forward to your book.

I have a question about skirt steak. Is it the same as flank steak? The last time I tried to make flank steak, it was really fatty. By the time I cut all the fatty pieces away, I didn’t have much steak left.

Great recipe! I love both grilled skirt and flank steak but prefer skirt. It seems to have more flavor. Oh man and with the tomato and bloody mary salad? I know what I am making this weekend. Can’t wait for the book!

I don’t mind you slowing down the posts so that you can finish your book. Just as long as you don’t start advertising/reviewing products in your posts, I’ll keep checking back! (I have been so disappointed that one of my favorite food bloggers started this trend as her book writing is wrapping up.)

This looks beautiful! I’ve been searching for a good skirt steak recipe, and I think I found it! Good to know it isn’t overpoweringly bloody mary, I’m not a fan of the drink as well, but I love tomatoes!

I don’t know why or how, but I subscribe to Bon Appetit, and when I read it, nothing sounds appetizing, yet when others try the recipes and describe them to me, they sound amazing. What you’ve done here has convinced me that I need to try this. Maybe it was the olives. I will delete them and try it – sounds so tasty! I am *so* looking forward to your book!

for those poor deluded people who do not properly appreciate nature’s most perfect fruit, the olive… my son has introduced me to Bloody Mary’s made with Dill Pickles and pickle brine. Maybe that would work as a substitute.

Hi Deb.
I’m a huge fan of your blog – to read it is one of my favorite things…
I’m a fairly young mother of two dreeeaaaming of starting my own food blog. I’ve bought a new camera that i’m getting to know but i don’t quite know where to start, or how to start blogging…
Any suggestions?
Keep up your amazing work! A new post from you really make my day!
A.

Wow! its so amazing that you are one such successful blogger who setup her food on same counter top and yet it continue to wow us, we who try desperately to find props and try to make it look like photos from magazines.

Do we have to, you have proven, less is more. Its LOVE you put in ur platter that matters at end of the day. i’m not sure smitten kitchen if u will read my comment lost amongst sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo many more. But if you do, plz know you are my no professional training required HERO AND I LOVE YOUR WORK. GOOD LUCK.

Oh. My. God. Just made this. Amazing. I skipped the horseradish for my spice sensitive husby and kiddo, and used milder olives and this was a hit!!! Red wine vinegar was a fine substitution, as far as my palate could tell. Thank you for this recipe! I am in love. :)

Couldn’t get a skirt steak today but used a beef bottom sirloin and it was fantastic!!! As I tasted the salad throughout the afternoon I kept thinking it was going to need more…Gave the steak and salad enough time to marinate, really delicious! Husband rated five out of five!! Will do again, thank you!

Made this last night….well..um…it was ridiculously good! Perfect on a hot summer night, just back from the beach. Used my cast-iron skillet for the first time to make the steak (flank). MY wife and i are going to enjoy sandwiches for lunch at work today. Thanks for another great recipe!

I made this last night for dinner and it was outstanding! I am not a big fan of the Bloody Mary as a drink (can’t stand tomato juice), but when I saw this recipe and the beautiful cherry tomatoes…I thought this was a Bloody Mary I could get behind. Between the skirt steak, the rub and the salad, this was fantastic. My husband was very skeptical at first, but became a believer with every bite. This refreshing and beautiful dish will be a summer staple from now on. BTW, love skirt steak, we have it all the time…makes great burritos and is perfect “salad” beef. It is a flavorful and inexpensive cut of meat.

Beg to differ–there is a great deal of difference in skirt and flank in the areas of flavor, juiciness and tenderness. Skirt has a much richer, almost livery flavor (some say due to where it hangs). It’s far superior to flank.

Tomatoes are probably my number one fruit at the moment. I’m jealous of your tomatoes. Oh, and skirt is really delicious, much nicer than flank, flank can be really tough to eat. Steven is correct, sorry. :)

Made this last night using a wonderful skirt steak from our butcher. The steak seasoning was good, though a bit too sharp on the pepper and too sweet on the sugar. I’d reduce the sugar or eliminate it. Set the steak on a bed of baby arugula. The salad was superb! We substituted wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar, which also probably made it less sweet.

And, I totally agree with Nick on skirt vs. flank steak. There’s no fat in flank steak, just connective tissue, which is why it’s great for pot roast or a daube but a very poor choice to grill. You’ll have one very tough piece of meat!

My husband loves to cook – not me. My sister sent me this recipe because I had promised to cook for a group of 10 on my husband’s birthday. I made the steak and the tomato salad and your potato salad with green beans. The whole meal was a huge success! My husband made the tomato salad himself a couple days later – he loved it so much. And, to be honest, cooking all of this myself gave me a bit more confidence in my cooking skills. I may even try it again!

This salad is like summer-season crack (even here in Seattle, where we’re not having much summer to speak of). Brought it to a cookout and it was a hit. I added a few handfuls of blanched green beans cut into one-inch lengths, cuz I thought it’d be pretty (and evidently, because I’m incapable of following a recipe as written) and it was fantastic. Even better the second day!

Hi, Deb – Making the tomato salad for the second time (de-li-cious!) and was wondering: do you choose celery hearts for the leaves? I didn’t include the leaves the first time I made it, but am thinking about adding them now. Can’t really tell from your picture, and I did scan over all your answers in the thread…Thanks. Sally

Leftover salad is terrific w/ the addition of a can of drained black beans & avocado. I used one 1.5# flank steak but still doubled the rub and leftovers do, indeed, make outrageously delicious sandwiches that are exceeeeeedingly picnic worthy.

The perfect meal for a sweltering summer night. This was fantastic. I was worried because my husband is pretty loyal to his lime and salt marinade for skirt steak, but he loved this version too. I made virtually no changes, except dialed back the cayenne for my three yr old. Lovely!

Stephanie — Not sure I followed. The end of the recipe includes directions for making it on a stove, as I usually do. (P.S. I actually think it’s better on the stove in a cast iron pan than a gas grill! It just seems to get hotter. Don’t tell anyone.)

I just made this, following your recipe and I think it is the best/most grown-up thing I have ever cooked! Thank you! So delicious. Tonight was a practice run, tomorrow I’m making it for the current tall-dark-and-handsome in my life. I think it will be a hit!

I love how this recipe is really two recipes in one. I loved the steak, but I have also been loving the salad. On these hot hot days, a baguette smeared with your homemade ricotta and this salad have been the perfect dinner.

Delicious! Rave reviews from my husband and son–who had many helpings. I substituted capers and their brine for olives (didn’t have them) and I omitted the hot sauce because I thought the salad would be too hot for the kids (not at all). Thanks!

This is one of the best (and easiest) recipes I’ve ever made. So delish! No one talked during dinner, which is usually a chatty, catching up with each other’s day time for our household. The only sounds were “yum-grunts” as I call them. You design the BEST recipes. Keep up the great work!

I have started over the last few months to only use fresh ingredients and try not to use any processed foods. Your recipes are fantastic. This was the first one I tried and it was delicious. I used the flank steak and everything was fantastic. There was nothing left for leftovers. Thank you for this fantastic recipe.

Beautiful recipe, and can’t wait to have it again – thank you. Bonus thank yous for calling out good magazine recipes for me… Maybe I’m still sulking about Gourmet getting pulled off the shelves, but I haven’t found a food mag to take its place yet. Boo.

When I first read the name of this recipe I was intrigued…sounds so good. As far as a wine pairing for this, spice and wine fight a bit, and red wine seems to fight more than white wine. I think we can get a light-hearted California Zinfandel to behave with this dish.

I am dreaming of making this again for a beach party with our skiing friends. I first made it for a friend’s birthday dinner. She is a Bloody Mary fanatic and makes her own tomato juice every fall. (When she calls and says she is opening the “red juice,” we drop everything and race over to her house…) I ended up serving it on a big white platter filled with baby arugula from our csa. The combo of all the colors, and the big yummy flavor of the sauce over the bitter greens was so divine. Thank you for this and all the many Smitten recipes that have played starring roles in many of our favorite foodie moments.